Old dilapidated museums reeking of decades of dejection and crumbling infrastructure are a common sight in India. With an aim to give a new lease of life to these houses of history, ministry of culture has earmarked Rs 60 crore for museums in the 11th Plan, against Rs 32 crore in the 10th Plan.
?Taking note of the fact that existing financial parameters were not enough for complete assistance to museums, several changes in the existing scheme would be made towards modernisation of museums at regional, state and local level,? said an official who did not wish to be named.
While earlier there was no provision for setting up new museums, the scheme will provide financial assistance of up to Rs 6 crore and Rs 3 crore for establishing museums under category I and II, respectively. State and renowned museums with exquisite collections have been classified under category I while others fall under category II. This is in tune with the recommendations of the Planning Commission to ensure new museums are set up.
Also, ceilings for assistance to existing museums would be raised to Rs 5 crore and Rs 2.5 crore, against the existing of Rs 1.70 crore and Rs 60 lakh under category I and II, respectively. ?The role of the museums has to be redefined and made significant to keep pace with the evolving social environment,? said the source.
For both the categories, the Centre will bear up to 80% of the estimated cost. The rest 20% will be borne by the state government or the institution. However, in case of museums in northeast region, including Sikkim, the Centre to state investment ratio would be 90:10.
The working group and expert committee, which considers the applications under the scheme on year-to-year basis, proposed the changes to the existing scheme for 11th Plan on art and culture.
The scheme for promotion and strengthening of regional and local museums has been in operation since 1992-93 and has been modified twice, in 2001 and 2005.